Roger Hayden wins second Supersport race of the season with Tommy Hayden in second and Ben Attard in thirdLEXINGTON, OHIO (July 24, 2005) - Reigning AMA Supersport champion Tommy Hayden and series runner-up Roger Hayden dominated the field aboard their Kawasaki NINJA® ZX-6RR motorcycles as AMA motorcycle road racing returned to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last weekend.
In the AMA Superstock race, Roger blasted off the grid and settled into ninth by the end of the first lap. As the laps wound down, the younger Hayden was determined to make it to the front aboard his NINJA® ZX-10R and climbed from ninth to fifth before the checkered flag dropped. Tommy elected to sit-out the race due to tenderness in his right hand following surgery to repair a broken bone.
In the AMA Supesport race, Team Attack Kawasaki rider Ben Attard got the jump on the field and took the lead going into the first turn. However, Attard's lead was short-lived as Tommy quickly passed him by turn three with Roger in tow. As the first lap was completed, Roger was in close contention for the lead and passed Tommy during a breaking battle in the infamous keyhole section of the track. Despite increasing pain in his hand, Tommy continued to keep the pressure on Roger for the duration of the event with Attard remaining close behind. As the checkered flag dropped, Roger took the win with Tommy in second and Attard in third.
"Obviously it feels good to win," said Roger during the post-race press conference. "In the beginning I didn't know how strong Tommy would be. I saw the pain he was going through, so I know he's not 100%. I was trying to put a gap on the field. I got in the mid '30s and the board said +0. I lowered the pace a little bit more and it still said +0. I was reading Tom's board too and it said +0, so I knew we had a fight on our hands. I just pushed the whole way and these guys made me earn it for sure."
With the win, Roger inched five points closer to Tommy. However, with just two races remaining in the '05 season, Tommy currently has 269 points to his second-ranked brother's 233 and remains a strong favorite to earn his second consecutive Supersport title.
During Saturday's AMA Superbike race, Attack Kawasaki rider Josh Hayes captured his eighth top-ten finish of the season by keeping a consistent pace with the rest of the field as he rode to a sixth-place finish in the 26-lap event. Ben Attard qualified sixth for Saturday's AMA Formula Xtreme and rode a clean and consistent race to earn his fifth top-ten finish of the season after crossing the finish line in fifth place. Hayes also competed in the second Superbike race on Sunday but endured mechanical problems on lap 20 and pulled out of the race.
Racing resumes when the teams head to Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va., August 26-28.
Source: Freeman/McCue Public Relations